A scientific cruise on the R/V Kilo Moana was conducted from August 18th to October 2nd 2006 along the equator from 140°W to 145°E (see http://www.ocean.washington.edu/cruises/KiloMoana2006 for more details about the motivations and results from this cruise). We occupied stations at 2°N, Eq, 2°S at longitudes where there is a moored ocean climate mooring (TAO-Trident)(140°W, 155°W, 170°W, 180°, 165°E, 156°E and 145°E). Stations were also occupied on the NE coast of New Ireland and Papua New Guinea in the Bismark Sea. Sampling at each station consisted of Rosette/CTD casts in the upper 1000m. A 24-bottle rosette was be used for nutrient and biological sampling. A 12-bottle trace metal clean rosette was used for iron and trace metal sampling. Three Shipboard ADCP recorded ocean currents down the 1200 m depth along the cruise track, giving a rather unique observation of equatorial dynamics during the relatively short cruise timeframe. The aim of this work is to describe and interpret observations from this campaign.
This work is done in collaboration with :
Christophe E. Menkes, IRD, Noumea, New Caledonia
Sophie Bonnet, IRD, Marseille, France
James W. Murray and Lia Slemons, University of Washington, Seattle, U.S.A.
Eric Firing and Francois Ascani, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, U.S.A.
Bonnet, S., I. C. Biegala, P. Dutrieux, L. O. Slemons, and D. G. Capone (2009), Nitrogen fixation in the western equatorial Pacific: Rates, diazotrophic cyanobacterial size class distribution, and biogeochemical significance, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 23, GB3012, doi:10.1029/2008GB003439
Slemons, L. O., J. W. Murray, J. Resing, B. Paul, and P. Dutrieux (2010), Western Pacific coastal sources of iron, manganese, and aluminum to the Equatorial Undercurrent, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 24, GB3024, doi:10.1029/2009GB003693